The system of learning has been undergoing constant evolution, all thanks to technological developments. There is a massive transformation in the way students are being taught today. A shift from conventional black board arrangement is being observed with the incoming of e-learning mechanism. Every school is rapidly adopting e-learning systems. This is constantly motivating students to make more and more use of technology and learning apps to acquire subject knowledge.
A gift of technology to students is calculator. It has made calculations easy. Scientific calculators are, especially, of great help during complex calculations. They are extensively used by science, engineering and mathematics students while applying formulas and algorithms and solving complex problems. So, for students of science, engineering and mathematics, it is very important to understand the device and learn its basics.
What are Scientific Calculators?
There are basically three types of calculators namely basic, business and scientific. These calculators are very similar in respect of some functions. But, still they are very different from each other. There are certain calculations that can be done only with the help of business calculator. Where a basic calculator is used to do only addition, subtraction, multiplication and division, a business calculator is used to calculate interest rates along with applying addition, subtraction multiplication and division.
A scientific calculator is most advanced of all the three calculators. It performs the functions of basic as well as business calculator along with myriad of other equations. They enable a student to work with exponential formulas, logarithms and trigonometry and eliminate the difficulty involved in working with these topics, to a great extent.
What are the Functions that a Scientific Calculator Must Perform?
1. Addition
2. Subtraction
3. Multiplication
4. Division
5. Raised to the power of
6. Exponential operations
7. square root
8. Natural Logarithm
9. Sine Function
10. Inverse Sine
11. Cosine Function
12. Inverse Cosine
13. Tangent
14. Inverse Tangent
15. Parentheses
16. Place number in the memory for future use
17. Recover the number from the memory to be used immediately
How to Make Sure that you are Using this Device Correctly?
You have to get into the habit of using a scientific calculator. Don’t just jump into buying one for you. Better, borrow one first and try doing calculations on it. Once you are thorough with using this device, you can buy one for yourself. Here are some functions that you should begin with:
1. Square Root
Say you want to calculate the square root of 16. Try finding out the way you get the right answer. Is it pressing the SQRT key first and then entering the number or the other way round?
2. Taking the Power
Suppose you want to find the value of 2 raised to the power of 3. Start by entering 2, press the power key and then type 3. If the answer is 8, then you are on the right track. But, if the answer is 9, try doing the opposite of what you did before.
Start with using these keys and gradually practice using other keys. Learn how to use a scientific calculator completely before you buy one. To learn using this device you can either go about reading the user manual or studying about it on internet.
